Metro

NGO empowers about 600,000 girls on menstrual hygiene in Bauchi

Published

2 months ago

July 28, 2023

The Plan International Nigeria, an NGO, has empowered about 600,000 girls on Menstrual Health Management (MHM) between 2021 and 2023 in three local government areas of Bauchi State.

Mr Nasiru Mohammed, the state Senior Programme Manager of the organisation, made this known at a Plan’s project Close-out meeting in Bauchi.

He said in two years of the project, supported by Kimberly-Clark Foundation (Kotex), different approaches provided immediate response and built resilience through empowerment of girls with critical information relevant to MHM.

“The Project adopted adolescent programing, community influencing, and community and mass media messaging.

“We reached 33 public schools across the three local government areas of Bauchi, Katagum and Ningi for awareness creation on menstruation.

“To promote menstrual health and help address issues around stigma and challenges that arise as a result of menstruation which is a natural phenomenon in girls,” hhe said.

According to him, initially the project targeted 200,000 in the selected local government areas.

“We directly reached out to 9,000 females, while 191,000 individuals were reached indirectly.

“A total of 14,616 were reached directly excluding those reached via social media messaging and a total of 589,725 were reached.”

Mohammed noted that the project was keen on social inclusion; while people living with disabilities were reached across communities of intervention using different platforms.

On her part, Dr Helen Idion, the Director, Programme Quality and Innovation of Plan Internationational, said that the project was implemented in collaboration with Community Initiative for the promotion of health and education sector as a partner.

According to her, the project was aimed at increasing the individual and collective agency of women and adolescent girls to exercise their rights to gender responsive, adolescent friendly and inclusive menstrual hygiene management.

“This project has lasted for three years in the three local governments and yet in these three years, the things we have heard, the joy we have heard from school girls has given us a lot of excitement,” she said.

Idion explained that lack of materials, such as hygiene pads, access to water, gender disaggregated toilets at schools and other public places, have further compounded the problem, thereby leading to a lot of psycho-social challenges.

The Director of Primary Health Care, Mr Suleiman Madugu, said the project recorded tremendous achievements and succeeded in making adolescent girls have better knowledge of how to manage menstrual health hygiene properly without stress.

“The project of menstrual hygiene management was supported by Kimberly Clark Corporation and implemented by CIPRHES in collaboration with the Bauchi state Primary Health Care Development Agency (BSPHCDA) and relevant MDAs.

“It has inculcated the knowledge and best practice of proper menstrual hygiene management of our women of reproductive age in schools as well as out of school adolescent girls in the state,” he said.

Headline

Stakeholders appeal for justice in Ogoniland

Published

1 day ago

September 24, 2023

Desmond Ukafor

Stakeholders in the environment sector on Sunday in Abuja appealed for justice in Ogoniland to alleviate the plight of the people of the area.

Mr Michael David, the Executive Secretary of Global Initiative for Food Security and Ecosystem Preservation (GIFSEP), an NGO said this at a workshop on Strengthening Capacity for Afrika Vuka Volunteers in Nigeria.

This is a build up to power up global day of action #PowerUpOgoni.

The Power up for Climate Solutions action would take place by Nov. 2 to Nov. 4.

“We are to promote the injustices happening in Ogoniland. I have been there, I can feel what the people of Ogoniland are passing through.

“Their water and farmlands are covered with oil, it is very sad. This should not be happening.

“I’m not sure we can proclaim the land in Ogoni, the level of pollution is indescribable,” David said.

He assured that the actions revealing the injustices in Ogoniland would be carried out in Ogoni and Abuja.

“We want to call the world’s attention to what is happening in Ogoniland.
They can’t farm, fish or drink clean and safe water,” David said.

He said that Karen community in Ogoniland never knew what electricity is like since existence.

“We shall carry out the action in Karen community in Ogoniland where we shall provide street lights for the market women only.

“We want to do a massive photo exhibition in Abuja of all the injustices in Ogoniland from 2018 till Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) came into inception.

“Vuka is a Zulu word from South Africa and it means rise up or in Swahili it means awaken so the 350Africa.org came up with this campaign to say Africa wake up. We also intend to have a group tagged Nigeria wake up,” David said.

He appealed to stakeholders that are into climate advocacy to partner to fight against climate injustices in the country and also appealed for increased budgetary provisions for key agencies in the fight against climate injustices.

NAN reports that 350Africa.org is a group campaigning against fossil fuels, and the promotion of renewable energy and has also been in partnership with GIFSEP to build up global day of action #PowerUpOgoni.

Rukiya Khamis, a representative from 350Africa.org said that the group is a platform for climate advocacy and justice and urged stakeholders to take the message #PowerUpOgoni across the world.

Khamis said that the group uses grassroots organising to run locally-driven campaigns in every corner of the globe.

“The climate crisis is about power — but not just the kind of power that keeps the lights on.

“We believe that the only way we’ll see meaningful action on climate change is if we can counter the power of the fossil fuel industry with the power of people taking collective action.

“We use online tools to connect that power, help those people see themselves as one movement, and to facilitate public actions,” she said.
(NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

AIJ/ORO
========
Edited by Razak Owolabi

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Headline

LASTMA, others combat Ilupeju industrial fire outbreak

Published

2 days ago

September 23, 2023

Ifunaya Emeka

The operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and other emergency responders at early hour on Saturday combated an industrial fire outbreak at Mega Plastics Company at No.4, Ilupeju Bypass.

Mr Taofiq Adebayo, the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, made the disclosure in a statement in Lagos on Saturday.

Adebayo stated that the industrial fire outbreak took place at Mega Plastics Company at No.4, Ilupeju Bypass beside Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ilupeju area of Lagos.

“The Traffic Officer of LASTMA, Mr Ayo Olaosebikan (Falcon) of Zone 21, confirmed that LASTMA rescue team arrived at the scene of the industrial fire outbreak around at 6:30a.m. before other emergency responders were contacted by LASTMA.

“Immediately we arrived at the scene of the industrial fire, we quickly informed other emergency responders particularly the Lagos State Fire, Rescue Services and the Nigerian Police.

“The causes of industrial fire could not be immediately ascertained, he said.
Olaosebikan noted that preliminary investigation revealed that the storage and factory section of the petrochemical company were seriously affected by the fire outbreak.

According to him, emergency responders on ground include Federal and State Fire Services, policemen and LASTMA Response Unit.

Olaosebikan said that neither injury nor death had been recorded.